April 29th, 2005
    
Uh, oh. we are at the mercy of strange and foreign directors who don't understand the delicate sensibilities and balance needed in a Tennessee Williams play. Edward Hall, from across the pond, is
at the helm of the current A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and he has misdirected the talented John C. Reilly so badly that the play's real currents and tensions are lost. Williams' love of depravity, sexual tension, deteriorated people, the holes in shattered lives, the survival of the primitive, expressed in poetic terms, is undercut as Reilly shows Stanley rather that being him. He plays the surface, which takes away his strength. He could have been Stanley if he just said the lines, so that a sense of inner danger could be sensed- but by shouting, he has no menace at all. Poor man-I felt sorry for him being so misdirected.
Natasha Richardson, one of the great actresses of our time, peaks a littler early, and basically lacks the frailty, the fragility, the vulnerability of Blanche. She's a big, strong husky woman, and she's the strong one on the stage-- especially in Act One. I can't believe she can't take care of herself. Chris Bauer is fine as Mitch, and his scene of he and Blanche on a date works well. Amy Ryan is quite good as Stella. I wish the inner magnetism needed in Stanley as he yells "Stella!" were there instead of just the loud call. No wonder the other reviewers love Richardson-- even in this huge barn of a theatre with abominable echoing sound, she does shine as a star actress, and her character grows (or declines) beautifully as the play progresses. Set by Robert Brill really sets the New Orleans scene, costumes by William Ivey Long are
appropriate, and Donald Holder's lighting is quite moodful and fine. Boo to Edward Hall.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 29th, 2005
    
Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF is one of the most perfectly constructed plays in the contemporary canon. The foreshadowings, the conflicts, the rising and falling actions, the final climax and the denoument give us a classic example (along with the brilliance and wit in his dialogue) of how to write a play. But in order for the play to really work, you need equal adversaries fencing and clashing on the stage. Unfortunately this is not the case in the current Broadway production. Riveting
Kathleen Turner burns up the stage as the course, powerful Martha- she's an untamable force of nature; Bill Irwin, with the feeble walk of an eighty year old, plays it like a Casper Milquetoast with no cajones, no real fire, making for an unbalance that even carries over into his conflict with the young ambitious professor, played quite well by David Harbour. Harbour does his best to pretend to be cowed by the unthreatening Irwin, but it's not a very convincing contest. And with Turner, there is no real
menace when Irwin points the umbrella rifle or when he chokes her. She could obviously trash him and throw him through a window. Mireille Enos is quite good as the young professor's wife, and the scene between the two women plays well. Director Anthony Page has failed to light a fire under Irwin (or to cast someone else)-- he seems to not understand the dynamics of
this marvelous play. John Lee Beatty's excellent set, Jane Greenwood's costumes and Peter Kaczorowski's lighting are just fine. Turner's worth the trip, though.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

In the current production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (book by Joseph Stein, music by jerry bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, choreography by Jerome Robbins), well directed by David Leveaux, the great classic musical is brought to wonderful fruition. Harvey Fierstein is the most entertaining Tevya since Zero Mostel. His powerful presence fills the theatre -- his sense of comic timing and nuance goes beyond the vehicle itself. He's powerful, moving, with great heart, and so funny that it lifts the show beyond the writing. The entire cast is top level Broadway- fine clear singers, dancers, actors, and they all blend in this
well-balanced, thoroughly enjoyable production of a great musical.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 26th, 2005
    
Marc Kudisch and Jan Maxwell are the real stars of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, directed by Adrian Noble, now on Broadway. But you won't know it until Act Two, when they are featured and bring the show to vivid life. The whole thing is like two different shows, and my spies tell me that it really is: Ian Fleming started it for his grandchildren, Roald Dahl adapted and finished it (they don't get any credit), and Jeremy Sams adapted it for the stage using songs by Richard M and Robert B. Sherman. Act One is a cute simplistic children's show, amusing on an outer lever, but with no real intimacy, no enchantment to interest children or adults. The two children in the cast are very busy acting, and that is somewhat off-putting, but Erin Dilly is a strong and attractive leading lady with good voice, looks and presence. Except for an imaginative Dream Circus number, most of the
choreography (by Gillian Lynne) has everyone doing the same thing at the same time without a lot of innovation, and although the dancers are all fine professionals, with this choreography it's useless. There is a boring lullaby number that in a way does its job properly- it almost put me to sleep. The set and costumes by Anthony Ward are terrific- some of the best in town-- properly cartoony, sometimes reminiscent of "Alice in Wonderland," and are the most imaginative part of this production. The show may have done well in London, but it is very far from an American sensibility- it's silly and not amusing. Much of this act is like mediocre Community Theatre, with the comic Bulgarian buffoons basically incoherent and not funny. But- they give us the gorgeous magical car, sing the title song, and the audience wakes up. With a flying outhouse and a flying car, things begin to happen. Then comes Act Two, and the show takes a major turn into the enjoyable. We have a Child-catcher (the slinky, sinister Kevin Cahoon) right out of Nosferatu, Marc Kudisch and Jan Maxwell, the villains, doing two spectacular numbers in a row
that seem to be out of an entirely different, and vastly more entertaining, show, filling the theatre with a sense of theatricality missing from Act One. He is powerful in brash and in childish moments, and she is a perfect foil and counterbalance for him. For me, they (and the flying car) are the show. CHITTY CHITTY BAN BANG will probably run-- give 'em a strong finish with a silver foil snowstorm and a flying car, and they think they saw a good show.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 25th, 2005
    
I did not find THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, with book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, to be very engaging, except for the visuals and the voices of the performers. Director Bartlett Sher is very good at staging: keeping the principals and extras moving around the stage in interesting patterns. The set by Michael Yeargan gives us views of Italy that are a fascinating travelogue and a profound comment on the action in his wonderful visuals of space and light on Italian ruins, piazzas and buildings. Lighting by Christopher Akerlind illuminates much more than the text and is a perfect blend with Yeargan. The period costumes (1953) by Catherine Zuber beautifully create the era. The principals, Victoria Clark as the mother, Kelli O'Hara as the beautiful but damaged daughter, and Matthew Morrison as the Italian suitor, all sing well and clearly, especially Clark in her final big number- opening up and lifting the theatre in this poetic piece, "Fable." All of the voices are Broadway level, with a touch of the operatic (including Sarah Uriarte Berry) slipping in. For me, the story is simplistic, without surprises, with not a lot happening but a lot of unmelodic singing of prose passages, conversation set to music, and too much
dialogue in Italian. The final conflict is absurd. It's good to hear fine singing voices, and to see the artistry of the designers- but I want more from a musical. Basically (as the Showbusiness adage goes), I walked out humming the set and the costumes.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 23rd, 2005
    
Jeffrey Hatcher's play A PICASSO, a sort of "Sophie's Choice" about paintings, now at Manhattan Theatre Club, is an engaging dialogue between Pablo Picasso, played by a strong, fervent Dennis Boutsikaris, and a German interrogator, played by Jill Eikenberry, to decide which of his paintings will be destroyed by the Nazis in 1941 Paris. The discussion is about his life, family and Art specifically, about other artists, and, too, is an exploration of the German mind. Eikenberry gives us a textured, layered
performance, that gradually reveals her inner struggle, and the duel between the two is intense, passionate, and intricate in ideas. John Tillinger has directed with verve and subtlety, and Allen Moyer's ceilinged set gives a proper restrictive feeling to the interrogation room. I happen to like plays of complex ideas and intellectual jousting, and if that is your cup of wordplay, try it, you'll like it.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 22nd, 2005
    
The musical DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek, is not the movie of the same name, so don't expect to root for the older more suave con man, played by John Lithgow, as we did for Michael Caine. This show tilts the other way-- we root for the intruder Freddy, performed brilliantly by Norbert Leo Butz. Lithgow's Jameson is a smarmy wise-ass of a roué, Butz is the comic everyman, and his absurd portrayal as Lithgow's demented brother is so hilarious that it will probably win him the Tony. He's a strong melodic singer with
great comic timing and star presence. He lets it all hang out, and the audience loves him. Lithgow is not really a singer, but he neatly pulls off his role, and certainly fills the stage with his presence, and even though he is performing rather than acting, he's lots of fun. Leading lady Sherie Rene Scott is a real singer- her voice is wide open, her acting is fine, and the rest of the cast, Joanna Gleason, Gregory Ybara and Sara Gettelfinger are top level Broadway performers, and they beautifully complete this
well-directed (by Jack O'Brien), choreographed (by Jerry Mitchell) and designed (very active set by David Rockwell, costumes by Gregg Barnes) show, which, with a chorus dancing at every excuse, and some very funny jokes, is a lively, very enjoyable Broadway entertainment.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

ALL SHOOK UP, the Broadway show constructed around the songs that Elvis Presley sang is a feel-good musical from start to finish. It's a first class entertainment with great singers and dancers,
brilliant arrangements by Stephen Oremus, an active, spectacular, imaginative set (that should win awards) by David Rockwell, amazing costumes by David C. Woolard, marvelous innovative choreography by Ken Robertson for perhaps the best chorus in town, and a book by Joe DiPietro that perfectly integrates the
songs in this imaginative concept, directed with pazazz by Christopher Ashley. Cheyenne Jackson stars as a Presley type, and with tongue-in-cheek bravado, a terrific voice, and great charm and charisma, he's perfect. They all are: the gamine Jenn Gambatese as the ingénue, the gorgeous Leah Hocking as the
temptation, sympathetic nerd Mark Price, compelling Sharon Wilkins, Alix Korey, Curtis Holbrook, Nikki M. James, John Jellison-- they're all real singers who fill the huge Palace Theatre with their powerful voices, good acting and comic sensibilities. And
Jonathan Hadary is just fine as Gambatese's father- he can put over a song. You want to have a good time and come out humming? Try this one. It's terrific.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 10th, 2005
    
STEEL MAGNOLIAS, by Robert Harling, now on Broadway, is not a play for jaded cynics. It's a lovely production, and all you have to do to enjoy it is to sit back and let yourself be a participant in the lives of these Southern women, well played by a fine
ensemble cast: Delta Burke, Lily Rabe, Frances Sternhagen, Rebecca Gayheart, Christine Ebersole and Marsha Mason. The humor is folksy Americana, the characters have a reality to them, and there are lots of amusing lines as they congregate to communicate in the local beauty shop. The set by Anna Louizos gives special flavor to the proceedings, as do the costumes by David Murin. Jason Moore has directed with a fine sensitivity to the drama as well as the comedy. The play takes place in 1987, but there is a timelessness to it, and as their concerns become more apprehensive, we feel for these "Steel Magnolias," and are uplifted as they show that they can cope with whatever
misfortune befalls them.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

So Denzel Washington is playing Brutus in Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR, and he's just fine. His charisma is there, filling the theatre, his acting is mostly good, and hey-- that's Denzel up there lookin' good. It's okay if he speechifies in a couple of
soliloquies, he's really good in conversation, and his star presence transcends his faults. And if you can accept the design concept: modern dress played against Roman ruins, it's brilliantly done- powerful, fantastic in its dramatic moments (set by Ralph
Funicello, lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin, amazing soundscape by Don Moses Schreier, costumes by Jess Goldstein, special effects by Gregory Meeh). But the production is greatly flawed, mostly by the inadequate acting of some of the main characters. Miscast as
Julius Caesar is Willaim Sadler (a good actor when he's in the right role) who comes across as a farmer, with no majesty. Uh uh. This is Caesar. Calpurnia, Tamara Tunie, is all surface as she sings her lines; Jessica Hecht is a rather coarse Portia. And an inarticulate Marc Anthony, Eamonn Walker, is unforgivable. I have the strange idea that Shakespeare's words should be heard and understood,
and most of the time in this production, unevenly directed by Daniel Sullivan, we do. This is, after all, Broadway, and there is a huge pool of actors in New York who are articulate. Why cast the merely partially coherent Walker, who sounds like he has a
stuffed nose as he overacts and croaks his emotions?
He's just awful in the funeral oration: weak, pleading, a bit of simpering-- he even moved himself to tears. In Act Two his acting is barely Community Theatre level. Colm Feore is strong and clear as Cassius in Act One, but Sullivan allows him to overact in Act Two. The one who steals the show is Jack Willis as Casca- his twinkling sense of humor gets the only laughs in the play, and his inner life is the clearest. Hooray for Jack for bringing some life into the production. The warfare scene is spectacular,
with startling sound, great flashes of light, explosions and smoke. The production is a noble idea undermined by inadequate acting. Denzel deserves better- I hope he'll grace a New York stage again.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

ON GOLDEN POND by Ernest Thompson is a sentimental, and ultimately very moving play about diminishment in old age as an elderly couple spend their last summer in Maine. Thompson's words are bright, insightful, and they capture the very realistic dialogue between James Earl Jones and the beautiful Leslie Uggams as Jones's character, a man who is "losing it," expresses
his anger and frustrations. In the beginning, it's homey dialogue, but seems to be directed, by Leonard Foglia, at a snail's pace (which picks up later). Jones is a great performer, and he sure does perform in this play. He plays all of his lines loudly and
clearly-- and it's wonderful to be in the presence of this powerful, charismatic man whose every word can be clearly understood. Uggams keeps up with him as well as one can banter with a hurricane, and Craig Bockhorn brings a touch of the authentic Maine to his postman. When the more realistic Linda Powell, playing their estranged daughter, and her boyfriend, played by Peter Francis James, show up, they are like a breath of fresh air in the face of Jones's pontificating, and young Alexander Mitchell is fine as the almost grandson. Set by Ray Klausen, costumes by Jane Greenwood and lighting by Brian Nason are all properly
evocative of the environment. Jones's irascible bullshit is ultimately entertaining-- he is, after all, one of our great performers, and the totality is quite touching, and certainly a superior evening of Theatre.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

Hear ye, hear ye- come back to a Dickensian time in horrible olde England and see SHOCKHEADED PETER, a Guignolian Grotesquerie now at The Little Shubert on West 42nd St. It's an absurd English Music Hall Vaudeville -- a weird fable with puppets large and
small, great costumes, spectacular performances led by the agile in body and voice Julian Bleach, with the thrilling counter-tenor Martin Jacques singing throughout the show, and the music of The Tiger Lillies. The eight member cast are all superb mimes,
actors, singers and musicians, the costumes by Kevin Pollard, lighting by Jon Linstrum and sound design by Mic Pool and Roland Higham and the set by director Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour are fantastical with many surprises. Directed by Crouch and Phelan McDermott, this is a one-of-a-kind show that builds
ever-startling events to a smash finish with a kind of fiendish glee. It's an amazing entertainment for those whose skewed sensibilities would delight in wickedness performed brilliantly.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

Kafka Lives! PILLOWMAN by Martin McDonough, now on Broadway, is a gothic horror story of repression and cruel interrogation in a totalitarian state, and about child abuse creating Art. McDonough is a very good short story writer, and several of his graphic tales involving cruelty to, and butchery of, children are hung on the framework of a man's grilling about
involvement in murders that replicate killings in his stories. The actors are terrific: Billy Crudup as the writer and Michael Stuhlbarg as his retarded brother bring life and depth to their roles, Zeljko Ivanek as "the bad cop" is bad, bad, bad (and reminded me of the old screen actor James Gleason), and the marvelous Jeff Goldblum as the chief interrogator is absolutely
magnetic. Goldblum's own high intelligence and sense of humor come through in his character- his comic timing is impeccable. John Crowley has directed with a deft touch, and set and costumes by Scott Pask transcend the given into the profound, as does Brian MacDevitt's lighting. So we have good strong writing and production, some of the best performances in town,
and horrible squirmy content except for a slight green uptilt near the end. What's your pleasure?

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 5th, 2005
    
Songwriter Kathy King Wouk's show WOMAN EXPOSED- Musical Photographs of Love and Desire, at The Duplex thru April 21st, directed by Lisa Asher, features three fine singers: Asher, Allison Briner, and Barbara Brussell. Wouk narrates intros to the pieces, which are insightful, tuneful story songs about love, explorations in life, some with nostalgia and others with light flirtatious humor. Each singer has a chance to shine, and in "Too Long Without Love," Briner is wide open- filling the room with her beautiful voice and presence. Brussell's solos, including "My Mother Played the Piano," rocked me-- her quaver quaves me, her vibe resonates in me, her star charisma elevates the trio when they blend in
ensemble songs. With sensitive pianist/musical director Jeff Waxman and his musicians gently supporting the songs, this is an unusually fine, very entertaining cabaret show. 212/255-5438.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

April 2nd, 2005
    
THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams is a good show. Really. Quite good. Despite a total misconception in the production by director David Leveaux, and some of the worst lighting I've ever seen on Broadway (by Natasha Katz-who is usually one of the best), the play itself and most of the cast provide us with a satisfying, moving evening of Theatre. Williams states at the beginning that this is a memory play, and Leveaux has curtains of varying thicknesses revealing layer upon layer of stage activity-opening and closing off parts of the stage as the action progresses. An interesting idea that doesn't work. Katz's lighting leaves Sarah Paulson as Laura, that poor sweet character, in the dark or in the dim, except for her scene with the gentleman caller where she is lighted basically for the first time. It
doesn't work for me. I want to see this fine actress, feel for her, not just her mother, in Act One. Christian Slater, telling the story as Tom, seems ill at ease in the beginning, when he should be many years into a more secure future, but he does pick up as the
play continues and his inner turmoil is appropriate. Josh Lucas's performance as the Gentleman Caller is strong and magnetic. Jessica Lange shines. She brings real depth to her anguish as the mother whose frustrations multiply as her son and daughter
disappoint. No draperies stop this powerful actress from filling the theatre with her torment. The production is peculiar, but the totality, despite the production flaws, ultimately is a worthwhile piece of Theatre.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

GOD HATES THE IRISH: The Ballad of Armless Johnny, by Sean Cunningham, with music by Michael Frears, is a very black absurdist musical comedy about the tribulations of an armless Irish man, played by the very engaging Bill Thompson, a good singer, comedian and actor with very elastic legs. The cast are all
strong personas, including the bright, shiny Broadway-level Ann Bobby, Remy Auberjonois, the lovely Anna Camp, Lisa Altomare, and James A. Stephens. It's all non-PC jokes full of sexual outrageousness. If you can handle a song about cunnilingus, a mother who masturbates, a priest who drinks (OK, I'll give you
that one), jokes about English inbreeding, murder, violent death, etc., it's the show for you. This excellent cast, zippily directed by Will Frears, choreography by Jim Augustine, set with potatoes by
Robin West and appropriately ridiculous costumes by Camille Benda, is lots of fun, and they're all really good singers. Have a Jameson's and have a good time.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 30th, 2005
    
Usually, when I'm reviewing a play, I scribble notes in the dark-- if it's bad, I write more. Every once in a while a play is so engaging moment to moment that I can't write anything. That's the case with ORSON'S SHADOW by Austin Pendleton, now at the Barrow St. Theatre. It's about Orson Welles directing Lawrence
Olivier in Ionesco's play "Rhinoceros," and includes critic Kenneth Tynan, Vivien Leigh and John Plowright. The actors, as well as being merely marvelous, look and sound like the originals, and Pendleton has captured attitude, nuances of speech, and emotional sensitivities in each of his characters- it all rings true, and for anyone really interested in Theatre, it's a must-see. Of course that fact that I saw Olivier and Leigh do "Caesar and Cleopatra" on the stage and Orson Welles do "King Lear" does enhance my interest in this play. Director Davis Cromer has
staged it seamlessly, and set by Takeshi Kata, lighting by Tyler Micoleau and costumes by Theresa Squire are all just right. The vivid performances by Tracy Letts (Tynan), Jeff Still (Welles), John Judd (Olivier), Susan Bennett (Plowright) and Lee Roy Rogers (Leigh) will stick with you.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

DESSA ROSE, by Lyn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), is a well-meaning musical about love and slavery, It starts in 1847 when a sixteen year old pregnant slave is part of a minor slave uprising. The story is a bit trite and quite
melodramatic as bad Massa kills a slave and sells young Dessa. The singing is terrific-- LaChanze as Dessa, Norm Lewis, Kecia Lewis, and all the rest of the ensemble, but there is little joy in the show, and much of it is like a Greek play with most of the
action talked or sung about. There is an uplift during her escape with percussion on glass, metal, wood and drum, and director Graciela Daniele has thrown in whatever movement invention she could throughout, and this helps a lot. Set by Loy Arcenas
imaginatively evokes the time, and costumes by Toni-Leslie James and lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer do enhance the proceedings. You want to hear some really fine voices? Here they are. But basically the show, despite its noble ambitions, is only mildly entertaining, and doesn't educate us beyond what we already know.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 26th, 2005
    
MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT is the most entertaining excuse for entertainment since "Hairspray." Director Mike Nichols has taken Eric Idle and John Du Prez's medieval spoof about Arthur and his boys, and, with the aid of the funniest, most ridiculous choreography in town by Casey Nicholaw, a brilliant set, absurd
(and glamorous) costumes by Tim Hatley, and has put together a musical extravaganza as foolish and funny as "The Producers." With meticulous lighting by Hugh Vanstone, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy and special special effects by Gregory Meeh, a super cast led by Tim Curry (who can still sing and fill the stage with his presence) and a sure nominee this year for best woman performer in a musical, Sara Ramirez, who steals every moment she's on stage as The Lady of the Lake with her beautiful voice, sensual, feral presence and figure, comic timing and intonation, and the feminine beauty she projects-- Boy! Can that Nichols put together a show! With David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria, Michael McGrath, the hilarious Christian Borle, Steve Rosen and Christopher Sieber aiding and abetting the ridiculousness, and Las Vegas high-steppin' chorus girls at any excuse, this is a show to see if you want to spend a couple hours laughing-- at the lyrics, the clowning, the absurd plot sketches, many with really dumb English humor, all aspects of the show. They mock everything,
including the songs they are singing; it never sinks into reality. Just very funny entertainment perfectly done.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

I've seen about seven or eight one-woman shows during the past season- people playing many characters. Everybody seems to want to tell her story and show the people in it- from Queens, New York to Belfast. One of the best is YOU NEVER KNOW, Leslie Meisel's funny, charming tale of the struggles of a young actress.
Meisel, like the very best of actresses, has her emotions just beneath the surface where she can easily tap into them, and her show, which makes us smile or laugh, also moves our emotions. When she plays the other characters- her parents, herself younger, and her best one: a young Italian boy bartender-- there is total immersion into them, their accents, their attitudes; she's also a fine singer and illustrates her tales with songs. She is bright, an insightful writer, funny, good-looking, charming, and a terrific actress/comedian who can really move you. Other than
that she's got nothing going for her.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 20th, 2005
    
From the first beat of Penny Orloff's show JEWISH THIGHS ON BROADWAY, now at the Clurman on Theatre Row, when we find out that Orloff is a really good singer, the show holds you. Her showbusiness career stories, her fight against weight- avoiding food to remain a performer, her romances, are all punctuated by good singing with snips from opera and Broadway, and these
are some of the strongest parts of the show. She plays a number of characters- voices and physicalities, and there is a lot of humor in her parents' obsession with eating fattening foods- in
fact the show could be called "Food vs Showbusiness." She's a good actress who has excellent communication with her audience, a fine singer, quite a good writer, and with sparkling costumes by Ludmilla Przk, it's an entertaining look into a life dedicated to the elusive muse of star entertainer. Thru March 27th. 212/279-4200.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 19th, 2005

The dance program at The Puffin Room presented A TALE TEN STORES HIGH, a sequence of ten pieces by several choreographers. High points of the evening were:
"Conversations Ala Tango" by Park N Dance, created by Pricilla Park and Leonardo Smith, a mixture of Modern Dance and Apache Tango wherein Park's strength, flexible power and sensuality fill the theatre, with Smith a fine partner for her; Monica Bill Barnes'
choreography in "Limelight," a two part piece with Barnes as a tramp, and then a trio of zanies in a backstage absurdity which is delightfully mischievous, well-danced, and beautifully coordinated, featuring three extremely expressive dancers: Beth Bradford,
Anna Smith and Deborah Lohse, and Barnes subtle solo "Relinquish," an understated, lovely, moving, lyric piece; "Winter Solstice" -- beauty in fluid motion, featuring the marvelous magnetic dancer Pricilla Park with the captivating Ely Nadal and Makiko Tamura in this piece about three muses in dramatic conflict, and the three of them in Park's "Strange Bird." This is
top level dance, and it was a delight to experience.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 8th, 2005

I liked the boldness of Stephen Adly Guirgis's play "Our Lady of 121st St." His current play, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, now at The Public Theater, as directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, doesn't work for me. Much of the acting in this re-telling of the Jesus/Judas story in contemporary ethnic slang is
performed in a declarative style, with people shouting their lines incomprehensibly or singing them. Worst offender is Yul Vazquez as a too rapid talking monotonic (whether loud or soft) prosecutor. Ultimately this becomes tiresome. Perhaps Hoffman was trying for pace. At least in part, he doesn't let us absorb the words. There are a few moments of people actually talking: Yetta Gottesman, Liza Colon-Zayas and Jeffrey De Munn, and, towards the end of Act One, it's a great relief from boredom to have two actors actually relating: Sam Rockwell and Eric Bogosian as
Judas and Satan- they are really alive, but they are better than the material, which seems to float between the imaginative and the banal. The rest of the cast is uneven, ranging from believable to amateurishly awful. Act Two, with an engaging encounter between Jesus and Judas, and an interpretive monologue by a
minor character, still doesn't do it for me. Sorry. I look forward to his next play.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

FROM THE GUTTER TO THE GLITTER, by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, now at the Theatre for the New City, is the real deal: unabashed, old fashioned vaudeville and sideshow, without embellishments, performed by an accomplished duo with great circus skills, Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu, and a fun musical duo, pianist Peter Bufano (who also juggles) and zippy
violinist Kathe Hostetter. It's all good-natured entertainment, and includes El Diablo (top on a rope), songs: "I Like You" and Mae West doing "A Good Man Nowadays is Hard to Find" to tuba accompaniment, whip-snapping, top-spinning, the graceful gymnastics of Manseu's magnificent body on a trapeze,
rope-twirling, fire-eating, balloons (popped on the woman and up both of their noses -- this is the sideshow stuff), a beer-drinking contest by audience members, walking on broken glass, sword- swallowing by Nelson, and three-way juggling. What a show! Here it is, Ladies and Gentlemen- Come and see for yourself. Step right in, don't be shy . Next month "JoJo the Dog-faced Boy" - he walks, he talks, he crawls on his belly like a reptile. In June- "Martin's Cats and Rats". But now- Bindlestiff thru April 2nd.
212/352-0255. Don't miss it!

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

March 4th, 2005

LAZER VAUDEVILLE, now at the John Houseman Theater, is a juggling show, and of the three people in it, Carter Brown and Cindy Marvell are masters, and Nicholas Flair, their young cohort, is just fine, and he's also acrobatic. After a slow start of twirling light, it picks up: they juggle with balls, drums, a chain saw,
rings, clubs, hats, cigar boxes; they balance, they clown a bit, there is rope-spinning, shadow show, and lots of scenes with black light. This is classic old time vaudeville, and there is artistry in the rhythms and patterns, and fine juggling. Marvell takes club
juggling to a new dimension that is so beautiful that it is sublime- thrilling. Towards the end there is a lazer light show, out of the '70's, that does nothing but hold up the proceedings. They don't need to spend all the money they obviously did to try to update
their show. It's okay to be classic. The Gypsy said to her grandchildren: "Never mind school, just keep juggling- you'll always make a living." Juggle on!

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

TWELVE ANGRY MEN is such a good play that criticism, especially with a professional cast like the one now playing on Broadway, is just picky picky picky. Reginald Rose's play in a jury room in a time when women and minorities were not on juries, wherein the
twelve men vote eleven to one to convict, and gradually shift to the opposite, remains captivating. Director Scott Ellis didn't have to create conflict through volume-- the content does it. Each man at a jury table didn't have to stand for his comments.
Stuff like that. So that the beginning of the play has several of the actors showing their characters rather than being them. It gets better as the play progresses, and ultimately it is a fascinating piece of theatre. Set by Allen Moyer, costumes by Michael Krass and lighting by Paul Palazzo are all excellent.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com